Garaa's Leaf
by Iciciro
Summary: Shina Kimino always acted like a mother to her little sister, but upon going to the Sand to begin a new life, the new Kazekage finds her quite interesting. It's probably better than the summary. GaraaxOC Complete
1. Chapter 1

Shina Kimino

She didn't stop looking at the floor as she shuffled out of the little room for the second time. Iruka-sensei was starting to catch on to her. It wasn't that she couldn't do the jutsu, and he was beginning to realize that. With her eyes downcast, she slithered through the crowd to find her little sister, Kei.

"Hey, Big Sis!" She called, hanging from a tree branch. Shina smiled and caught her as Kei jumped down. She slung the little girl up onto her back. "Did you pass?"

"Maybe next year," Shina answered, smiling away her sadness.

"Maybe we'll be in the same class!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, that's right! You're starting soon aren't you?" Shina said. Kei giggled and slapped Shina's shoulder playfully.

"You knew I was starting!" Kei said. Shina laughed and spun around, causing her little sister to scream and clutch her neck tighter. Neither had stopped laughing when Shina fell to the dirt, and Kei tumbled off her shoulders. The older sibling looked up, smiling goofily and caught her sensei's eye. Kei sprung back up and spoke over her shoulder, "Sometimes I think you fail just so we can be in the same class!"

Iruka stared hard at her, gauging her reaction. Shina's smile dropped right off her face for a second before she replaced it with a shaky facsimile.

"You're so full of yourself!" Shina answered. _Crap_, she thought. Iruka was _definitely_ on to her. She hoisted Kei back up and began to jog back to their house. "And stop messing around. You have piano practice in fifteen minutes, and I still have to go by the store to pick up something to eat." Kei rested her chin in Shina's hair and begun her ritual pout.

It didn't take long to get back to their house. Shina dropped Kei onto the couch to wait while the older girl changed. Her white shirt had gotten dirt all over it, and she was certainly not going out like that. Shina climbed the stairs to her room and rummaged through the drawers to find a new shirt. She found one—a short sleeved dark blue one. It hugged her form tightly and complemented her light brown hair.

Shina shed her dirtied shirt and turned to look at the mirror. She twisted to look at the seal on her back. It was at the base of her neck really. It was a whimsical little tree; its limbs curled upward just as the roots curled downwards. The roots spread down across her back, a sign that she had waited too long.

The seal kept in all of her chakra. Shina was _blessed_ with a genetic disorder. It prevented her body from regulating her chakra levels, but she was never meant to be a ninja. Her body wouldn't accept the chakra—it rejected it. So Shina has to deal with the seal. It stores all of her chakra, and when it runs out of room it simply grows its roots as if it were an actual tree.

Usually, she didn't let the roots get past her shoulder blades, but they had gotten past the middle of her back. She really needed to unload this chakra. It was enough to blow her house to smithereens at any rate.

Shina donned the blue shirt and sighed in relief when her seal was covered. She didn't like it—always felt self-conscious about it. The older sister blundered down the stairs and scooped her little sister back up.

"Piano time!" Shina sang. Kei latched on. It was only a few blocks to the piano teacher's and then it was off to the market to get dinner. After that, Shina rushed off to the forest to get out some of that chakra out.

With no time for ceremony—she still had to get back to the house, make dinner, and pickup Kei before dark—she thrust her hands forward and felt the familiar burning sensation as the chakra rushed out of her spread palms. She shut her eyes tight and flicked her hands up and out and around, expelling her explosive chakra.

Suddenly, she stopped. Shina couldn't take the burning sensation anymore. She shook her head and opened her eyes. The three trees in front of her were no longer trees but burning stumps. Some hiker was going to be very confused. She sighed. At least the groceries were still intact.

Shina picked them up and rushed off, whipping up a quick dinner—something involving chicken, she didn't really recall—and brought home Kei.

"Dinner!" The little girl exclaimed and rushed to the kitchen. She sniffed the air and comically swooned. "Did Dad leave this for us?" She asked, eyes wide. Shina's smile was permanently plastered on her face for all she knew.

"Yep," the older girl lied, popping the 'p'. "He swung by just after I had gotten home from the market. He told me to tell you he loves you and give you a goodnight kiss, although it's a little early for that." She pouted when Shina pressed a kiss to her head anyhow.

"Why can't he ever stay for dinner? The last time I talked with him was when he came down with the flu!" She scowled.

"Buck up, little one," Shina said, setting both of their plates on the table. "You know how hard he works." The little one sat in angry silence like she did every other day whenever the subject of their father came up.

It wasn't too long until Kei was asleep on the couch. Shina smiled and then sighed. She picked up her little sister and carried her up to her room, pulling the covers to her chin. Shina felt a sense of motherly pride. This beautiful, talented creature was a product of _her_ upbringing. But there was always the flipside. It should never have been her responsibility to raise this wild child.

Shina dragged her feet back to her room, the exhaustion finally taking its toll. It was a hectic day; it always was. Take care of herself. Take care of Kei. Take care of the house. Cook. Fake her Genin exams.

She heard the downstairs door open and close and sighed. She forgot one of the most important of her obligations. Take care of Dad. Shina dragged herself downstairs and forced a smile to her face, a spring in her step.

"Good night, father," she said. He looked up at her, face white and haggard.

"Hello, Shina. I trust you didn't kill anyone while I was away?" He said and sat down heavily in his chair.

"I came close, but no, no homicides today." She took his briefcase and put it in the dining room.

"Oh, what would I do without you?" He sighed. Shina went back and sat down across from him.

"Crash and burn," she answered. Dad reached back and pulled his hair out of his ponytail. He was a handsome man. Sometimes Shina wondered why he never remarried after their mother died, but she always figured it had something to do with them.

He had long hair, hence the ponytail, and stunning green eyes. Kei inherited these, along with their grandmother's mesmerizing black hair and fair skin. Shina got their mother's light brown wavy hair with blue eyes and tan skin.

"You had, um, that thing today. How did that go?" He asked, already fighting sleep.

"The ninja exam? I failed again, but I have a good feeling about next year." Dad sighed and shook his head.

"Third time's the charm, eh?"

"Look I know you're disappointed but—"

"I could never be disappointed in you. With all the things you do here, it isn't surprising that it may take you a few years to complete your training. And with your unique chakra, controlling it must be very difficult. I understand," he said.

"Dad, I—thanks. I think you should eat something before you pass out. I left out some dinner for you on the counter." Her father got up and left without another word, and Shina left to go upstairs.

She rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out the last letter her mother ever sent from the hospital. She like to read it sometimes when the day had been especially difficult to deal with.

_My sweet baby,_

_ I don't think I'm very long for  
this world, and I want to let you know that I love you. I love your father, and I love your sister. I want you to know that your sister is very special. Her ninja skills will be like nothing you've ever seen before, and people will come and want her for those powers. I want you to look out for her. I just hope that your father can still be there for you. Whatever happens now, I am laying on your shoulders._

_ Watch out for my perfect little angel, don't talk to strangers, and I love you so very much._

_ Your Mother_

Shina sighed and replaced it, feeling the bonds around her mind repair themselves. This is what she had and was meant to do. Shina accepted that. Then, she collapsed on her bed and didn't remember much else until her internal clock was screaming at her to get up. The blue-eyed girl got out of bed and looked at her seal. The roots had receded far up her back, out of the danger zone. She pulled on her tight navy blue shirt and black pants.

"Shina! Where did you put my case?" Her father called. She made her way downstairs and smiled at her Dad's helplessness.

"It's in the kitchen, like always," she answered.

"I don't— Oh," he said. Shina went to the refrigerator and pulled out her father's lunch. She spun and handed it to him, scowling at his tie.

"When will you ever learn how to tie properly?" She sighed.

"What?" He asked, a piece of toast dangling out of his mouth. Shina straightened his tie and started making breakfast. A bedraggled Kei appeared in the doorway as Dad was rushing out of it. He ruffled her hair and said, "Bye, kiddo."

She mumbled in response and sluggishly made her way to the table to eat. Shina sat her bowl in front of her, having nothing more fancy because the brown-haired girl had gotten up later than usual. She turned and grabbed her sister's lunch and sat it in front of her.

"Hurry up, or you'll be late for your last day of school!" Shina urged. Kei mumbled back, still tired. The older of the two smiled at the thought of having nothing to do for the entire day—a day to relax.

Although she doubted it—there was always more work to be done.


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out the third year was the charm, for Shina and for Kei. And Iruka didn't like it one bit. Something was very off about that girl—Shina Kimino. He approached her after class, wading through her sister's congratulatory party to find her in the corner. He simply had to look at her, and she followed him back into the school building.

"Did you want something, Iruka-sensei?" She said.

"Are you always this protective of your sister?" He asked, out and forthright.

"Excuse me?"

"You failed your first two exams so you could be in the same class as your sister, didn't you?" He accused. Her gaze became icy, and her voice became cold and hard.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Sensei. It was days before my first exam that my mother tragically passed away, and I'm sure you can imagine what it did to my chakra control. As for my second exam, my chakra is difficult to control anyhow. It takes me three times as much chakra to make one clone as it does someone else. Plus with taking care of my sister, father, the house, and myself; I am very. Busy." Iruka crossed his arms and stared hard at her.

"You shouldn't put this much pressure on yourself. It isn't good for you," he said. Shina growled and turned to leave.

"Three years as my teacher, and you just now realized that," she muttered. She made her way back out to her sister's mob of friends.

It took almost an hour for all of her friends to clear out. Shina took Kei's hand and started walking back to their house. Kei was still excited, still jazzed from passing the test.

"Why didn't you go hang out with your friends, Shina?" She asked. Her older sister smiled at her.

"They already went home," she lied again.

"Oh," Kei said, wagging her head and smiling. "Think of it! Genins, then chunins, then jonins!"

A year or so later and as chunins, it was their responsibility to take on harder missions. This time, it was a team mission. There were eight of them travelling to Suna to oversee the building of an embassy. A team of jonin had been sent already, but they were facing some unexpected complications and needed more help. That's what the mission order said anyways.

It was rough travels for the Konoha kids. It was for many of them their first mission. Shina pulled some strings, more like yanked really, to get herself on this mission with her sister. She knew that sending _chunins_ to a recently hostile country was borderline madness, but the Hidden Leaf Village was without Hokage. It wasn't making the best of decisions.

But.

It was awkward. She was two years older than anyone else. These newly crowned chunins all thought they were the best of the best or fainted at the sight of blood. It irritated Shina, and the only one she really talked to was a boy named Shikamaru.

Walking in the baking sun was so much less than fun, but all the Leaf ninja had on black masks, hiding their identity, and masking their skin from the big ball of butter trying to fry them up and serve them hot.

"Yes, but if a little kid is raised to think that killing people with, I don't know, blue eyes is like a religious necessity, then is that _evil_?" Shina asked.

"Obviously,"Shikamaru answered.

"But to the kid, it's the right thing to do and _not_ killing them would be evil."

"Then it would be good."

"No, Shikamaru. You aren't getting the point." Shikamaru huffed and turned on her, almost knocking them both over.

"It all depends on how I am in this scenario," he replied, obviously annoyed.

"Exactly!" Shina cried. "What I'm trying to say is, good and evil are in the eye of the beholder. There can really be no universal meaning of good and bad because it's different for everyone." She was looking off into space, a star-struck look on her face.

"If you already knew that, why did you include me in this conversation?" Shika grumbled.

"Because I'm usually the one being talked at," she sniped. Shikamaru shrugged and continued running through the sands.

"Then please, continue. This is actually kind of interesting," he said. Shina smiled and ran after him, having fallen behind the rest of the group.

Suna was fast approaching.

A jonin was waiting for them at the gates, as were a great many hateful glares. Shina figured there would be some resentment, but come on! If any of them had half a brain they would figure out that these _kids_ probably didn't fight in the battle. Some of them sure, but it was their country who attacked first!

Shina sighed and shook her head. She was being biased. As the mother of her family, she always had to see both of the sides of the story, and sometimes it drove her crazy. They were shown to where they were staying—apparently all the Sand could afford was a handful of tents on the outskirts of the city. Awesome.

Everyone was tired from travelling, and many of them laid down to rest. It wasn't long until their rest was disturbed.

A huge bang rocked their encampment.

"Perfect," Shikamaru muttered. They flooded the camp, circling the tired ninja.

"I told you this wasn't the east side!" One of them yelled.

"What do you want?" One of the jonin yelled back.

"They aren't Sand!" Someone said.

Everyone was out now, out of tents and out of sand dunes. Shina's group had spread out in a line covering the city, and the other ninja mirrored them. She took a closer look at them—the ninja—and almost sobbed.

They were from the Leaf.

"This isn't your fight. We came for the Sand, but we won't stop for any misguided who gets in our way," their apparent leader said. Shina cast a glance towards Kei. She was shaking.

"We aim to keep the peace here," a man said, stepping out from the Konoha lines. The rogue ninja leader scowled at him for a moment—before taking off his head.

"Hold the lines!" Someone shouted just before the onslaught began. Shina could feel the chakra in the air—so much of it in one place. It was stifling; she found it hard to even breathe. Jutsu's were being shouted everywhere, but so far, no one had broken their impenetrable line.

And that's when it happened.

Shina glanced over to find Kei, panic seizing her. Her panic eased as she found her little sister and parried another blow from an oncoming ninja. The two sisters made eye contact for a brief moment. Shina saw; she always saw everything. Kei's eye told her all she needed to know. The older girl's shout of 'No!' reached no one's ears, as she watched Kei turn and bolt away.

And the floodgates opened.

Ninja swarmed through the gap, breaking the line. Shina watched as ally after ally fell and barely noticed when a sword came across her chest. The painful graze was enough to snap her out of her trance, and she bolted after Kei.

Shina tore through the abandoned streets of Suna. No one seemed to be around. She shouted out, pleaded for her sister for what seemed like hours before the older girl found her, crying against a wall.

"Kei Kimino!" She shouted. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kei ignored her and launched herself against her sister.

"Shina there was so much hate! So much violence! I-I couldn't…" Shina's anger crumbled into the dust at her feet, and she hugged the crying girl closer.

"Hush, Kei-Kei. Hush now," she soothed. The sounds of fighting were dying down.

"M-Make it go away, big sister. Please," she said, tears smearing her face. Shina looked down at those tears and knew exactly what a big mess she was getting herself into. But at that moment, how could she do anything other than what her mother asked?

"I will, honey. Now I need you to do something for me. Tell them…" She paused. "Tell them that I was the one who broke the line. Tell them how much of a coward I am. Drag me back to the camp and blame. Me."

Kei looked up at her, shirt smeared with blood from Shina's chest wound. "What?"

"They'll dishonor you if you're caught deserting, but we're about the same height. They won't know the difference between us." Kei's face hardened and nodded grimly. Something hurt inside of Shina when her little sis just accepted the plan without protest. "Here we go. Are you ready?"

"Here you go!" A disgusted Kei yelled, dragging a dirty Shina back to the battlefield. Many ninja lay dead; Konoha's forces down to ten out of thirty five. "Here's your line-breaker."

"Shina? It was you?" An astonished Shikamaru asked.

"I'm sorry!" Shina burst into tears. "There's just so much blood and so much evil here! I can't! I couldn't…!" One of the remaining Leaf took her by the hair and brought her tear-stained face to his own bloody, raging one.

"Sorry!" He screamed into her face. "Because of you, all of these people died!" He took her and put her right next to one of the good guys. The blood still hadn't congealed, and was still pooling in the dust. "Now their blood runs through the ground, and all you have to say is that you're a coward?"

Shina did nothing but sob, finding it easier than trying to speak. She looked up at her sister and found no remorse there, no pain, and certainly no fear. Shina never really thought of her sister as much of an actor, but Kei was quite convincing. Just a little bit too convincing for Shina's tastes.

"I'll see you hang for this!"


	3. Chapter 3

After a few more days of agonizing travel with people who were withholding their wrath, Shina was back in Konoha. They had put her in a room to wait for her judgment. She was glad that they brought the Konoha forces back. From what she heard, they were sending a 'special force team'.

A new Hokage had yet to be found, so Shina was getting prosecuted by an ANBU captain. He was her judge, jury, and executioner.

"Shina Kimino, you are charged with twenty five counts of manslaughter. You are hereby stripped from your ninja status and exiled from Konoha. This decision is final."

This decision is final.

Final.

Shina sighed tiredly and went home to collect her things. She only took what was necessary, a few changes of clothes, some food, and whatever money she could find. Kei locked herself in her room, but their father was waiting for her.

"Father," she said curtly.

"Shina," he sighed heavily. "I don't want to see you around here anymore. I don't want you to contact Kei either."

"Of course," she said. "I'm banished anyways." So she turned and walked put, leaving her motherly life behind.

As she walked through the darkness—it had turned night while she was waiting—Shina thought of her plans or lack thereof. She was tired. She was even more tired of planning everything all the damn time. It was time to throw caution to the sparse wind and be an actual teenager for once. She rolled her eyes.

That was so not happening either way.

Years of travelling didn't change Shina very much. She was still shy and introverted. She was still protective. She still had her seal, though she hadn't used her chakra since she left Konoha. The purple swirls covered her entire body which made her have to wear long sleeves and pants at all times, but it was okay. She wore all black most of the time, tight black cloth that was lightweight and not that hot. Heat had never really bothered her.

Some things did change about her though.

She began collecting old fairy tales; songs of ages long past. Shina learned them all, becoming a bard of ancient tales. She began to read more to pass the time in between cities. She became more and more interested in them, telling them to whoever would listen.

She became a master in to art of lying. Exiled from her village didn't seem like a good way to start a conversation, so she became a wandering traveler, bringing stories to rural villages. She dropped the name Kimino and was simply Shina.

In her travels, she had yet to visit a certain Sunakagure which she would quickly rectify.

Shina sighed.

"It's good to be back," she said sarcastically.

Shina walked into the sandy village. It was very bland, she observed. Mostly brown although with the frequent sandstorms she supposed it was for the best. People were looking at her as she took in the village; they probably weren't used to having strangers. Who in their right mind would actually come to Suna of their own free will?

Shina.

A man approached her.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Where's your theatre or library or something along those lines?"

"Well, I don't believe we have a theatre, but we do have a small library just around the corner." He pointed down the road. She followed where his finger went and found it. It was a tiny excuse for the city's only library.

I was small and set in between a deli and a clothing shop. The windows were dusty, and the letters were scraped away so it read IIBPARV instead of LIBRARY. She entered, and a sad rusted bell tried to clink at her arrival. It failed.

The shelves were covered with dust, and there were maybe three books on each shelf. A little old lady sat in the back, asleep.

"Excuse me," Shina called. The lady opened her eyes and smiled through thick glasses.

"Yes, dearie?"

"I'm wondering where all the books are. Are they all checked out?" She asked. The little librarian reached under the table and pulled out a bid book. A cloud of dust came out when she set it on the table which made Shina sneeze.

"Yes. They're all checked out."

"When was the last time you checked a book out?" Shina queried.

"Well if it's Tuesday, then that would make this the second month without any checkouts."

"But all the books are checked out?"

"Yes." Shina sighed and looked around.

"Who owns this place?" The young woman asked eventually.

"Well that'd be me, but if you're interested I could sell it to you at a nice price," she hinted. Shina thought for a moment.

"I think I'd like that."

And so Shina's library was born. She found there was a space upstairs where she could sleep, and the front of the library was just the beginning. There was an entire other room behind the counter, supposedly a storage unit, but it was almost twice as large as the actual library.

She set to work.

She cleaned out the front window and replaced the letters spelling LIBRARY. She took out all of the books, enough to fill maybe two shelves, and put them outside the building. She was drawing attention to herself, but she didn't care. The shelves got cleaned, the floors swept, and then she started taking inventory.

There were a few tattered books on Suna history, some story books, and a trilogy on hair care. As for the reference books, there were some encyclopedias, but they were missing E, J, and V. There was exactly half of a dictionary that was glued to an atlas.

Her work was cut out for her as she journeyed away from Suna for books and other things Suna didn't have. Like apples. There were absolutely no apples anywhere in the Sand.


	4. Chapter 4

Garaa was walking around his village. As the new Kazekage, it was his job to know the village. He had heard of a new girl in town that was fixing up the Library, but he walked by her store every day. He hadn't really seen her a lot; it hadn't been open the entire time. Something was different about it almost every other day. There was a new book here. There was a new poster there.

A flower sat in the window, and no matter how many days Garaa didn't see her, that flower shone. It was one of the yellow ones, but Garaa didn't know its name. He started to look for it every day, and one day he saw a smiling tan face behind it. He tried to smile back, but she was gone before he could.

In the next week, the library was open.

Gaara was much too busy to visit, but he liked what he saw. People frequented the little library, and he saw children with books all over the place. There was a bump in traffic in that area, and the whole place just seemed happier.

It wasn't for about another month did he ever speak to her. She was talking to a little girl—Onnie was her name—who had lost her parents in the attack against Konoha. The little girl was staying with her Aunt but hung out a lot by the market. The Kazekage stopped and listened.

"What's your name?" The librarian asked.

The girl hesitated before answering softly, "Onnie."

"And Onnie, what is your favorite book?" she asked. Onnie pondered this for a second.

"Cinderewa," she said decidedly. The woman turned and rummaged in her backpack. She soon produced a book, Cinderella.

"I have this right here. I can lend this to you for the day, if you'd like," she said.

"But I can't read," Onnie mumbled.

"That's okay! Come by the library tomorrow at five in the afternoon, and I'll read it to you," she said. She stood and began to walk away, but Onnie called her back

"But Missus! I don't know your name!" She said. The woman smiled back.

"Shina," she said. Gaara nodded, taking note of this. He stepped out and caught her arm.

"Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice you talking to Onnie," he said. Shina smiled brightly at him.

"Yes, I see her here all the time, and I wondered what her name was," she said.

"It's nice to see her talking again. She hasn't spoken more than two words at a time since her parents were killed." Gaara hadn't let go of her arm, only loosened his hold.

"If you don't mind me asking…"

"The battles in Konoha," he said, shaking his head. "She's living with her aunt, but I don't really think it's working out."

"You really care about your people, don't you?" She asked suddenly. Gaara was caught off-guard.

"Well… of course," he said. "I am the Kazekage." Shina smiled.

"Well, being the Kazekage doesn't exactly mean you care, if I may be so bold," she said. Gaara chuckled.

"Of course," he consented.

"Having power opens doors that would otherwise be closed, but it also confines you in a way with social norms. As the Kazekage and to be a good leader, you must attend social events, act properly, but you also get to live in a bitchin' mansion. Oh snap, I didn't mean to curse, but… Anyways Kazekage isn't always equal to good." She brushed her hair back nervously. "Get what I mean?"

"I think so," Gaara said.

"And it's Kazekage Gaara right?" He nodded. "I'm Shina."

The next day, Gaara had managed to get away from his brother and sister long enough to go down to the library. A sign in the window said BOOK READING IN BACK. He followed the comically drawn arrows taped to the shelves and found a room in the back.

There was a small stage, and Shina was sitting at the edge with a book in her hand. She smiled at him and motioned for him to sit in the back. There were no open seats, as there was a full house of little children. So he set down his gourd and leaned against the wall.

"Once upon a time," she began. She launched into the story of the unlikely princess, doing voices and speeding up when it was right and slowing down when the story called for it. She was quite an amazing storyteller, Gaara observed. And when she finished with, "And they lived happily ever after," the kids burst out into applause. She even got a smile out of Gaara.

"Remember kids!" She called. "Same time next week!" The children filed out, finding parents or their own way home. Not many of them were old enough to know how to read, so the space was cleared quite quickly. Gaara approached her, as she went back behind the counter.

"Hello," he said.

"Oh, Kazekage! I thought you'd left with the others. Is there anything I can help you with?" She said.

"I was just going to ask if I could take you to dinner," he said. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Remember those restrictions having power comes with? Well I think I would be one of them," she replied, hastily putting away the Cinderella book. Gaara chuckled.

"Just a friendly dinner to thank you for all you've done here," he said, smiling.

"I don't wish to be out of line, but don't you have work to do? Bureaucrats to deal with, paperwork to sign, worlds to save?" She said, nervously brushing her hair back behind her ears.

"I'm sure the world can wait just one night," he answered.

"I really couldn't. There's still so much to be done here," she trailed off. "Please feel free to come by and get a book or listen to a story, Kazekage."

Gaara's brow furrowed. It was obvious she liked him, and he was willing to enter into a relationship with her. So why was she pulling away? Why did people have to be so confusing? It was all he could do to deal with the advisors and complaints, but try to understand women? He had his work cut out for him.

He left and was caught off guard by both of his siblings.

"And where have you been?" Temari asked. Gaara rolled his eyes and continued walking back to their house, or rather as Shina had put it, his mansion.

"Visiting the library," he answered. Kankuro came up beside him and smiled dangerously.

"Visiting the sexy new librarian?" The older brother probed.

"She isn't sexy!" Gaara insisted.

"So you don't think she's pretty?" Temari said.

"No! I never said that…!" Gaara growled. "Just drop it, okay?"

"Gaara has a crush! Gaara has a crush!" The two siblings chanted. The Kazekage grunted and swept away in a whirl of sand.

"Think we over did it?" Temari asked.

"I think we should talk with this librarian who has snared Gaara's interest," Kankuro said.


	5. Chapter 5

Shina couldn't stop thinking about the red-headed Kazekage who had apparently taken an interest in her. He was handsome and nice, but getting involved with someone never ended well for Shina. They started asking questions, found things out. They wanted to know where she came from. They wanted to know if she had family. They wanted to know what in the hell was on the back of her neck and why it sometimes moved.

Getting involved with the Kazekage no less! How much of a disaster would that be? She had finally begun to settle down, and no way was she messing that up! She had a job, a place to stay, and a place in society. Shina was making a difference! She couldn't just throw that away for some guy, right?

But he was cute.

Oh so cute.

But he was the Kazekage, and if they got involved… no. Disaster. Calamity. Chaos. Heartbreak. Catastrophe. Tragedy, and a whole other slew of words that meant: bad.

Still, Shina couldn't help but wonder what his favorite color was—probably red. She wanted to know what his favorite food was and why he had 'love' on his forehead. She wanted to know if _he_ had family. She wanted to get to know him. Maybe she didn't want to lick the sweat off his chest or know how his tongue tasted—yet—but she did want a friend who could spell his own name.

But no more time for pondering, she had a book enthusiast—two actually. A blonde and a guy with a hoodie on and face paint.

"Hello! Is there something I can help you with?" Shina called.

"No! No, we're fine," the girl called. After a few minutes, they both came up with two books and started a conversation with Shina.

"So, you had the Kazekage in here yesterday, huh?" the boy said.

"Hi, I'm Shina and you are…?" Shina said.

"Kankuro."

"Temari."

"Nice to meet you, and yes, the Kazekage was here," the brown-haired girl said. Kankuro hesitated for a moment.

"So where do you come from?" He asked. Shina shrugged.

"Everywhere and nowhere I guess," she replied. "I'm kind of a traveler." Which was true up to a point.

"Really? Why'd you come to Suna? Do you have family here?" Temari queried. The librarian didn't like the questions. She felt like she was being teamed up on.

"I haven't been here in a while, and I thought it would be nice to try it out here," she said, logging their books in the gigantic dusty book she found with the old lady who owned the library before her. It was used to track to who and when books left.

"So you've been here before?" Temari questioned. Shina was beginning to get nervous.

"Really long ago, I don't really remember. I just remember that I liked it here," she said.

"So what do you think about the new Kazekage?" Kankuro said.

"I don't really know him all that well. So far he seems like a fine man, a bit young to rule a fifth of the world," Shina commented. "And what's up with the thingy on his back?"

"His gourd?" Temari said. "Well, it's how he fights, really. He controls the sand that's in it, and it's quite deadly."

"It's more awesome than it sounds," Kankuro put in.

"I feel kind of bad for him, to be honest," Shina said, propping up her head on her hand.

"Why's that?" Temari said, honestly intrigued now.

"Well, he has to deal with a lot. On top of the confusion of young adulthood—god, I know about that—he has to run a country. He can't ever be a normal teenager. You know, booze, rebellion, girls? It isn't much, but he'll never get to have it. I mean I was never one for any of that, and look how I turned out…" She trailed off, talking more to herself than anything.

"Trust me, Gaara has never been normal," Kankuro assured her. Temari stepped on his foot, and he cringed.

"What?" Shina said.

"We gotta go," Temari said hurriedly and pulled her brother out.

"But your books! No? Never mind then," Shina mumbled. "It isn't like I already checked it out or anything." She erased the logged out books, and she sighed. "It isn't like I have a crush on the Kazekage or anything," she mumbled even quieter.

"Oh no!" She continued, grabbing the broom to sweep up for the day. "It isn't like I've finally settled down, but I'm about to ruin it all. It isn't like I'm going to go out with him if he asks again. It isn't like I'm going to clean this entire floor because I'm cleaning away my feelings. This is like none of that."

She shrugged and shook her head.

"And now I'm talking to books. That's cool."

She swept up and put all the books away, but there was nothing left to do. Shina sighed and retrieved a book. Her sleeve slid up, revealing how far her seal had grown. She yanked back down her sleeve and growled. The lines had grown everywhere, as she hadn't used her chakra in a few years. The lines were no longer purple—they were black. So much chakra packed into one place had turned the once-pretty lines an ugly black.

And now they burned.

Every second of every day, it was there in the back of her mind: the slight burning sensation that came with being affected by to her own chakra. Sometimes it kept her up at night. She would wake up in hot sweats and have to press ice against her skin to quench the fire.

It was effing annoying.

* * *

"Gaara! Gaara! You have to marry her!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"What?" The Kazekage muttered. He was at his desk, paperwork strewn everywhere.

"The girl—Shina!" Kankuro grabbed his brother's face and looked him dead in the eye. "Marry. Her." Gaara's sand shoved Kankuro away.

"What are you going on about?" Gaara growled.

"Shina! She's awesome! She doesn't know anything about how homicidal you used to be!" He shouted. Gaara's fist connected with Kankuro's face. He was breathing hard, fists clenching and unclenching. Temari shook her head. Kankuro knew he wasn't supposed to bring up how odd* Gaara used to be.

"Gaara," Temari warned. Gaara shook his head and sat back down, putting a hand to his head.

"What are you babbling about!?" He roared. Kankuro looked at Temi for help.

"What this idiot is trying to say is: we really like this Shina girl. I think she's the only one in this village who never hated you, and if you're going to fall in love with someone, it should be with someone how never wished you would die," she said. Gaara looked back and forth between the two.

"I already asked her to dinner, but she declined," he muttered.

"You can't let a sexy piece like that go to waste in some musty library!" Kankuro insisted. Gaara shot him an icy look. "Did I say sexy? I meant well-liked and respectable."

"Gaara, you deserve to be happy," Temari said softly. He sighed heavily.

"You know what would make me happy? If I could finish this paperwork before dawn," he grumbled. Temari shook her head in blatant disapproval, but she left. Kankuro scrambled out, not taking his chances at defying Gaara again. He didn't think his face could take another hit like that.

* * *

Another week had passed, and Gaara was too busy to go to her story time, but he dropped by afterwards. The sign on the door said CLOSED, but the door was open so Gaara just walked right in. He heard music coming from the back.

Curious, he went to the back and pushed open the door. The little theater was filled with soft music, some type of classical song. She was there, dancing. Shina with closed eyes was waltzing around the room, humming the notes.

He put down his gourd and quietly leaned against the wall. The Kazekage watched her dance, watched her intricate twirls and dives. She was a good dancer; he could tell even with his limited knowledge of dancing.

She finished and curtsied, finally opening her eyes. She jumped.

"Kazekage! I didn't… Well. Um, hi," she said and brushed her hair back.

"Hello," he said, still leaning against the wall. That simple word sent a shiver down her spine. He pushed off the wall and approached her. "Good dancer, nice, beautiful woman. How is it that you spend all your time with five year olds?"

"Five year olds don't spy on my in any case," she griped. Gaara ignored her and flicked his gaze up and down her figure.

"How does one do that? The dancing."

"Do you not know? You're the Kazekage!" She scoffed. "You're supposed to know everything!" Gaara chuckled.

"I haven't really needed to know how," he said back. "But I might… someday." He held out his hand. "Care to teach me?"

"Well, I am a humble servant of my Kazekage. How could I refuse?" She said, smiling. She took his hand in hers and brought his other to her waist. "Now you have to support my arm with yours," she instructed and set her arm over his, holding his shoulder. "And now we go back, and around, good!" The music had begun again, giving them a tempo. Shina led him for a while before Gaara fully got the steps.

He started leading her, and she absolutely melted. Shina closed her eyes and swayed to the music. Gaara watched her, entranced by her. She was very graceful; he could see. He really quite liked how she fit in his arms. She was actually a tad shorter than him—much to his delight. Not many were.

"Well, who would've thought that our Gaara was a natural?" She said and stepped back. "I really need to teach you how to salsa…"

"Are you hungry?" He suddenly asked. Shina laughed and smirked.

"Yes, I am. Have any place in mind?"

Gaara smiled.

* * *

***F*cking weird**


	6. Chapter 6

The place was ginormous! Shina thought that if she yelled her name, it would _echo_! Suffice to say, she didn't. She really wanted to though. Taking her to a fancy restaurant would have been a bit overkill, but to his mansion? Why not?

"Wow, taking me home on the first date… I normally don't do anything like this, you have to understand," she teased.

"You're funny," Gaara muttered. "Really."

"I'm just joking with you," she giggled. She laced her arm through his and smiled. "Is there someone you should inform that I'm here, or do you just bring women home all the time? So much in fact that they just set an extra place at the table?" Gaara glared at her for a second.

"Watch this."

He called for the head butler or maid or whatever they had there, and a bright young man rushed down the marble stairs. He looked quite young to be head of anything. He was a might taller than Gaara, she noticed with maximum hilarity.

It was really only then that she realized how short he was. He was muscular, pale, handsome, and cute. He was an enigma, a joy, confusing, and… short. She stifled a laugh. The intensity of his gaze made up for some of it, and his imposing demeanor certainly did something. That something eluded her, but it wasn't really a bad thing per se. It was… nice.

"This woman will be joining us for dinner tonight. See to it that the proper accommodations are made," he said, all deep and commanding.

"Y-yes, Kazekage," he stuttered and ran off. Shina held her laughter until the boy left, and then she let out a long string of laughter. She was right though. It echoed.

"And what was that all about?" Gaara said, clearly amused. The girl sobered for a moment.

"First of all, that was quite interesting," she said. "You being all commanding and with the orders." She lightly flicked the tip of his nose. "Adorable," she proclaimed.

"That's one of the good ones isn't it?" He chuckled. "Go on."

"And two… I just realized how short you really are," she snickered. The smile dropped off his face. His arm hung limp at his side, no longer holding hers like a gentleman. "But, Gaara, it's really a good thing," she assured him, worried that her usually un-fat mouth had gotten her into trouble. "It's nice to have someone that I can look in the eyes easier than I can look in their belly button."

He began walking silently away, and she hurried after him.

"Short guys are easier to hold hands with," she explained and curled her fingers into his. "You're easier to dance with, huh? That's what got us here." He didn't stop, only slowed down a tad. "You are much easier to kiss," she said and pecked his cheek.

He stopped.

"What are you babbling about?" He asked, exasperated and more than a little taken off guard. All of her vibrato seemed to vanish in an instant. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him.

"Babble? I'm babbling?" She blinked. Gaara sighed and took her shoulders.

"Shina…"

"That's interesting because I don't normally babble. I'm normally quite silent, and I'm doing it again. Aren't I?" She said, looking down. He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

Boy, did that shut her up.

"Can we go eat now because I feel very foolish," Gaara said. Shina's confidence came back in a snap. Her eyebrows rose, and her fingers flexed around Gaara's.

"I said I was hungry, didn't I?" She chuckled.

"Of course."

They walked, hand in hand into the dining room. It was odd that he hadn't pulled away yet, Shina thought. He probably didn't know the significance of it—socially stunted little panda that he was. The two from the library were waiting for them. Temari and Kankuro was it? Yes.

"Temari? Kankuro? What are you doing here?" Shina asked. The two siblings looked up, and their mouths dropped open.

"So you've met?" Gaara said, grinding his teeth. Kankuro had turned in his chair, ready to flee if needed. "Interesting. You've got to tell me more about that." You've got to tell me more about that = We're talking about this later. I'm not happy.

"It's nice to see you with someone, little brother. Really, the only people he sees all day are those dreadful council members," Temari shot back. Hey, if she was already condemned, why not go all the way?

"So this isn't the sort of thing you do all the time," Shina observed and sat down at the table across from Temari. "See these are the things I really must know if I'm going to sell your secrets to your many female admirers."

"The fangirls? They would pay big bucks for something as little as his favorite color," Kankuro snorted.

"Don't get any ideas, you vultures," the Kazekage grumbled and sat next to Shina.

"Being vultures implies that you're already dead," Shina said back affectionately. "And I don't entertain necrophilia—" Fortunately for Kankuro who was starving, the food interrupted their fascinating conversation.

"Oh, alright! Grilled chicken with a parmesan—" Kankuro went on to list a bunch of fancy names that Shina had never heard of. Her eyes steadily got wider with each new words, and by the end, her eyes were rivaling the diameter of her dinner plate. "My favorite!" He exclaimed and dug in without much ceremony.

"Wow. Fancy stuff you guys have here," she commented, feeling like a complete dork as soon as she shut her mouth. "You know what? I'm just going to eat." Gaara laughed silently at her discomfort, glad it wasn't his this time.

They ate in silence for a moment, but Shina didn't notice. All of her attention was focused on the party her taste buds had thrown her in celebration of eating that chicken. It was like the sun had shone down upon this blessed chicken, and the fowl had been prepared by the freaking wizard of Oz. Her mouth was practically breakdancing.

"Excuse me, but I cannot date you, Kazekage; I'm sorry. I have to go out and get eloped to this chicken," she said. "Do you know of any priests nearby?" Temari almost fell out of her chair, she was laughing so hard. Not only at Shina's comment, but also at Gaara's face before he realized she was joking.

"Where have you been all his life?" Temi asked, still chuckling.

"Obviously paying too much for restaurant meals when they don't taste half as good!" She said back to the blonde. It was everyone's chance to laugh then. Kankuro looked back and forth between the two, and Gaara began to get nervous. His brother was about to say something, and by the look on his face, it was nothing short of embarrassing beyond belief.

"So you two are dating, then?" He said. Gaara sighed. That was about right.

"Figure of speech," Shina answered a little too quickly. The eldest brother leaned back in his chair and nodded.

"You know what else is a figure of speech? Bullshit. You guys are totally dating," he announced.

"I think you would make a nice couple," Temari agreed.

"Worst first date. Ever. If I may say so," Kankuro said. "Meet the fam on the first night out? Nope."

"Stop talking," Gaara ordered, and a certain feeling crept up Shina's spine. The room fell silent. "Thank you." He picked up another piece of chicken and ate it. "So why did you decide on a library of all things?" He said conversationally, talking to his date.

"I saw the hopeless pit that you all once called home for all you lovely bookies, and I couldn't help but want to fix it. There is enough space in the back that I think I could start a little theater. Get the kids together. Do a little production of "The Three Blind Mice" or "Goldilocks" or something."

"That will be nice for the kids. It takes their minds off of things," Gaara said.

"My thoughts exactly."

The rest of the dinner was amicable. There was little real teasing, and Kankuro finished as soon as possible, leaving the two lovebirds alone. Temi followed suit. Soon it was just the two of them in the monstrous dining hall, but their laughter warmed the room. Their smiles made the lights burn just a tad brighter.

"Come here. I want to show you something," he said, taking her hand. He led her up to his room, but she hesitated outside the door.

"Is this…?" She began, but she held back the question and entered. He didn't stop though and dragged her past his bed, closet, and one chair that adorned the room. He led her out onto a balcony where he told her to close her eyes.

"Go on. Close them." She obeyed and shut her eyes tight. "Now open," he called, voice barely above a whisper. She turned, and he had vanished. She looked to the side, even checking over the rail before catching a glimpse of red against the sky.

He had climbed up to the roof.

"Give me your hand, and step on the sand. Don't worry. I won't let you fall," he assured her. She took his hand and ascended the makeshift stairway to the roof. When the girl looked back, the sand was nowhere to be seen. She let out a small laugh and turned to him.

"Well, I'll always know where to look when I can't find you at least," she said and went over to him. He had lain upon the shingles, arms spread, and she copied him. Shina took the chance and nestled closer to him, laying an arm over his torso.

"Do you see it?" He asked. She looked up, when he was looking, and she smiled.

"I see the stars, and the moon, and Mars," she supplied. He let out a contented sigh and relaxed next to her.

"What do you think the sky would be like without stars?" He asked some time later. She tried to imagine the sky starless.

"Well, I suppose the moon would get very lonely up there," she pondered. "Just a big empty void. I think it would be rather terrifying."

"I guess you're right. It would get awful solitary," he whispered. They were silent for a while before Shina became too fidgety.

"You aren't the moon, Gaara," she said. "You're a spectacular star with other stars that love him for who you are and not just how shiny you may be."

"Are you one of those stars?" He asked. She snuggled closed to him, the night air being slightly chilly for her tastes.

"I think I'm getting there."

* * *

**A/N:  
To Djopp: I had no other way of reaching you, but I'm so very glad that you like it. Yes OC does stand for Own Character, and I find OC stories to be the most fascinating so those are the ones I write. It is also amazing to find someone as strong as a fictional character-and I mean that as a compliment. I'm going to finish this one! I will!**


	7. Chapter 7

He walked her home that night. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, and the streets were dark enough to warrant stress. Well, at least stress for him. Shina knew she could take care of herself, but she wasn't about to bring that to his attention.

As they walked in amicable silence, she thought about how to break it to him. Her mother. Her sister. Her family. Her _stunning_ ninja career. Her seal. Her village. Her chakra—everything. It would have to be very softly broken to him. Konoha and Suna were on the best terms they have ever been, but tensions were still high. Gaara felt that Tsunade had the right to help Suna out. He was all about cooperation.

But.

What would he think when she told him she was practically a fugitive? She'd been banished from her beloved home. She'd been disgraced. Shina didn't even know if she would tell him about her sister. About how Shina took her place, saving her sister from enduring what she had to.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she pushed them back with practiced ease. This would end badly. This would end terribly. How could she not think this through? She thought everything through! Gaara watched her think, noticing the tears collect and then vanish. She shook her head, and Gaara craved to know what she was thinking about.

When they arrived at the library, she didn't notice.

"What are you thinking about?" He said. She shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing. One of the books I'm reading," she muttered. She turned and smiled, marveling at his eyes. "I never got the chance to ask you…" She brushed back his hair and traced his love symbol. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand.

"I…" He took her hand and looked at her. "It's sort of a long story." She took his hand and pulled him into her library, among the stacks and stacks of books.

"I'm sort of good at those," she said back. She sat in one of the many chairs and gestured for him to sit. He sat in the one across from her.

"I… well, I used to hate everyone and everything," he sighed. Shina leaned forward and listened intently. "I have a demon sealed in me, and everyone thought I was the murderous, bloodthirsty demon I had inside of me. The threats and looks and… I became the monster they all thought I was."

"Gaara…"

"Please, let me finish. I started killing people, and they weren't just accidents anymore. I killed just to feel alive." He put his head in his hands, afraid to see the judgment in her eyes. "When I killed the last person who truly loved me, I cut this into my skin and let the demon take over. I killed… so many." When he fell silent, Shina went to kneel in front of him.

"Gaara. I'm trying to understand. Why did you feel the need to hide this from me?" She said, tilting his head up to meet his eyes. The pain in them was immeasurable. "My mother died when I was eleven. My sister was nine. I became her mother, and I did nothing else. In between taking care of _everything_ and… I never really had the chance or inclination to make friends. I really like you, Gaara. For who you are now, not who you've been. I was a friendless castoff before I came here, and you were a murderous psychopath. I think we prove that people can change," she said.

"Shina…" He whispered. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

"Gaara. Thank you for telling me this," she said and stood up. He stood and took her face in his hands, kissing her soundly again.

"Thank you for… Thanks," he said and kissed her again. Shina smiled and chuckled.

"Now I think you should go before Kankuro starts, well, being Kankuro," she said and pecked him on the cheek.

"There is… Well, there's a ball in a few weeks for Suna's birthday, I think. I…" He stuttered. She fell back into her chair, crossing her arms, and watching him stutter with amusement. "I want you to come with me."

Shina smirked.

"No."

"Why not?!" Gaara cried. "It's going to be really boring, but with you there…"

"No."

"But!"

"No."

"Shina!"

"No!" She said, equally exasperated. "I don't want to go, and that's final!" He kneeled before her, pleading with those huge blue eyes.

"If you go, I will… I'll do whatever you want," he pleaded. She looked down at him. A smile curled onto her face.

"You'll come to my plays, and make me dinner, and kiss me one more time?" She said. He nodded after each word.

"Of course!" He kissed her again. "Of course!"

"My answer is still no," she deadpanned.

"Well, then, I want my kiss back," he said. She smirked.

"You already gave it to me; you can't have it back. It's mine now. That kiss is mine now." She hopped up. "And there's nothing more to say about the matter."

"The deal was: you come and I give you a kiss, but you aren't coming. So I want my kiss back," he said and dropped into a crouch, about to pounce on her.

"Well, then I have stolen this kiss. What are you going to do about it?" She said back. She smiled and climbed up onto the chair. Gaara made to tackle her, but she hopped onto the table. Using it as a stepping stone, she sprang onto the shelf and climbed to the top. Miraculously, no books were hurt in the process. She felt something knock her off, and Gaara caught her. He caught her wrists and pinned them onto the shelf.

"Are you going to give it back willingly, or do I have to take my kiss back?" He asked. Shina tossed her head up. "Then I'm taking it."

He tried to kiss her, but ending up pecking her cheek. He tried again, smirking all the while, and again he failed. Shina felt something soft and a tad grainy bind her hands, and she felt Gaara's trail down her arms. He took her chin in a vise grip and forced her to look at him. Blue eyes met blue, and Shina stopped breathing.

"Okay, I'll give it back," she said hurriedly.

"Nope," he said, popping his p. He pressed his lips to hers, hard and demanding. That fiery kiss lasted quite a bit longer than the aforementioned stolen kiss. Shina began to squirm under him, arching her body against his. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. The sand melted around her hands, and she absently rubbed at them.

"Well, I should… um. Sort some files and…"

"Yeah, I should be…" He turned and walked briskly to the door.

"Gaara?"

"Yes?" He said and turned.

"See you tomorrow?" She said and shrugged.

"Of course." He turned and left. Shina sighed contentedly and sank into her armchair. God he was so sexy. How did she luck into such a handsome little psycho?


	8. Chapter 8

The day of the ball was rapidly approaching, and Shina's mood was declining with every day. Each day, Gaara would show up for lunch or dinner and even breakfast once to eat with her, talk, and ask her to go again. Every time she would decline. The annual ball was host for all sorts of mishaps. She could tear her dress. She could spill something. She could run into someone from Konoha—a very real possibility. Or worse. She could be forced to socialize _without sarcasm_. Shina just wasn't ready for such a leap on the road of life.

The day of the ball, Gaara made no appearance.

"Have a nice day," Shina said and handed her last customer of the day their book. The play was going on swimmingly. She had conferred with the kids and decided to do a classic: Cinderella. They had convinced one of the teenagers to be the Prince, and a very enthusiastic young lady became Cinderella the minute she heard the identity of the Prince. The back of the store was roomy enough for a small stage, so the theatre was born.

She was about to close up for the day, but a man slipped in, a white box in his grasp. He sat it on the table and slipped out again. Confounded by his furtive actions, she examined the box closer. It was held together with a flimsy red ribbon, a bow adorning the top. She snapped the string and opened it warily.

Oh no, he did not.

Inside was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. As if she were an actual girl, she rushed to put it on. I was a simple dress, but that was what made it so perfect. I started off white at the top, and as the eyes descended it slowly turned black. It was strapless with a heart-shaped neckline. A slit on her left side came up to her mid-thigh.

She shook her head. She was a weak weak woman. How did Gaara manage to get a dress that fit her perfectly? She twirled about in front of the mirror for a while before realizing that it wasn't just her dress that had to look good, her face needed some work too. And going to the party barefoot? Probably not the best idea.

Shina did add a few touches of her own. She put on her black nylons, and her black silk gloves joined the equation. The gloves stopped at her wrists and had a single pearl button on either one. She put her hair up, fastening it with a white ribbon. She put on simple black pumps. Nothing else needed to be done after her makeup because the seal did it all.

The branches and roots had turned black and swirled on her legs, arms, and chest. The intricate patterns wrapped around her collarbone and had already begun to creep up her neck, giving her a whimsical look. She was sure Gaara had never noticed her seal before because she almost always had them covered.

He was in for a shock.

* * *

"Do you really think she's coming?" Kankuro asked after the tenth time he had seen his brother glance at the door.

"Yes!" The Kazekage insisted. He was decked out in full Kazekage robes though his hat was resting in his chair. His foot tapped on the white marble floor in time with the music. He took another sip of his drink and held his glass in hand before another diplomat came to talk with him.

The diplomat moved on, but Kankuro came up and took Gaara's drink from his hand.

"That's my—" He began, but was cut off by Kankuro.

"Dude, you were about to drop it," he explained.

"What?"

"Look."

Gaara's gaze followed his brother's and was suddenly thankful. He would have dropped his drink because there stood the sexiest woman on the planet, and she was walking his way. Temari was right, the dress suited her perfectly, but what he couldn't stop staring at were the patterns adorning her skin. It must be body paint, he concluded. It also must have taken hours.

"Gaara, you look dashing!" She commented, as she strode up to the three.

"You clean up good…" Kankuro said, eyeing places that ought not to be eyed.

"I clean up _well_, thank you very much," she snapped. Bad grammar had always annoyed her.

"If you aren't going to tap that, I think I'll just take your turn," the older brother said to his younger.

"Would you like me to punch you again?" Gaara asked lowly. Shina smirked at him, as he retreated to the snack table.

"Thank you, for defending my honor, good Kazekage," she said and pecked him on the cheek, fearing anything more would embarrass him in front of his little friends.

"I—um," he stuttered. Temari smiled warmly at Shina.

"That means 'Shina you look so very lovely. Would you honor me with a dance?'" She said and motioned to the dance floor.

"Do I have to tell you yes so that you can translate it into grunt?" Shina asked the blonde.

"I would be honored if you would join me in a dance," Gaara finally said, finding his voice again. Shina smiled and took his hand. He led them out to the dance floor, and they got into position just as Shina had taught him.

As they danced, they talked and laughed and hushed each other when they got too loud.

"They're like butterflies," she commented as the first song ended, and they exited the floor. "Or confetti blowing around in the wind. It's beautiful." She said and took his hand.

"I don't much care for them—to extravagant," he replied.

"But that's what makes it so pretty!" She said back. "The colorful dresses and tight suits. If you kind of unfocus your eyes a bit, it's gorgeous." Gaara leaned back against the walls of his ball room and tried to see it the way she saw it. After many attempts, he shook his head.

"I can't do it. I know them all too well," he said and scratched the back of his head. "I never really said… well, how pretty I think you are tonight," he mumbled and put a hand on her waist. "I think I know why I can't see it," he said and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You are just taking up all the gorgeous in the room." Shina laughed and didn't resist when Gaara drew her closer and closer.

"I like the robes," she said before he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. Her eyes darted around, making sure no one was too disturbed by the sight.

"I like them too," he responded and strutted back out into the fray. That's really the only word for it, Shina thought. It was a strut.

The rest of the ball entailed talking with people she didn't know. Thankfully Gaara actually did most of the conversation-making, and the Konoha partygoers were nowhere to be found. Her two main fears: over and done with. Many people commented on her seal—or body paint as she referred to it in public—and they always asked how long it took her to do it. She was always tempted to say 'oh three or four years, give or take a week and a half' but she refrained for doing so, stating that it only took a few hours.

Gaara was being just a tad too handsy, and it was driving Shina insane. His hand would linger on her waist just a tad too long or his fingers would accidentally brush at her sides. Sometimes, she would even feel the brush of his grainy sand under her dress. It would sneak up her thigh and rub at her stomach. It was only a pinch which is why no one else noticed it, but she was getting less in the party going mood every minute.

"Gaara," she whimpered. "Stop it." He only smirked in response and found someone new to talk to. She felt the sand creep up her side and brush her breasts. The party wasn't swinging to a close anytime soon, and Shina was begging to leave to any god that would listen. Gaara must have sensed her intense distress and asked her quite loudly if she had a headache or something.

"Why, yes I do, Lord Kazekage. I think I should go home and get some rest."

"I'll see to it you get home in one piece," he said and followed her out. She burst into giggles as soon as they were out of earshot of anyone.

"So you can just leave your own party?" She asked, still giggling.

"I'm the Kazekage," he answered and started on the path to her flat, a route he knew too well. "I'm guessing you liked the dress."

"I'm keeping it by the way," she stated. "And don't think I'm not angry. I'm very angry. You sand needs to chill the hell out." He wound an arm around her waist and laughed.

"You should wear it for me sometime," he said.

"Well, parties are quite fun to go to as long as you don't screw with me. I suppose…"

"I was talking about wear it for me. Just me," he said. They had arrived. She looked at him, a curious mix of lust and inquiry glinting in her eye.

"You know," she began and opened the doors to her library. "Your party never came with dessert, and I've never made you my famous ice cream." A slow smirk spread across Gaara's face, and he crossed the threshold, following her upstairs and into her little flat.

Her bedroom was through a door immediately to the right, and her living space had a tiny little kitchen shoved into it on the side. There was only one bathroom, but it opened into the living room and into her bedroom, so it was efficient enough for a simple librarian. He followed her curiously to her fridge as Shina left a trail of things—stockings, shoes, hair ribbons. Soon it was just her and the dress. She pulled out the ice cream and told him to cover his eyes.

"I'm serious. I want your awesome dessert to get you all at once," she explained and got out a spoon. He closed his eyes and heard her get out a bowl—just one. He heard the clinking of spoon to bowl and heard the telltale _wusshhhhhh_ of whipped cream. "Open," she ordered.

It was all in one bowl. An entire mountain of vanilla ice cream covered with whipped cream and smothered in chocolate sauce. He smiled and was handed a spoon.

"Dig in," she said and took a big glob of whipped cream in her spoon. After a bit of chowing down, she looked at him and set down her spoon. "Do you want to hear a story?"

"A story?"

"An old myth about the Earth," she said back. And also payback for the sand groping earlier, she added in her head.

"Why not?" She smiled at his answer and prepared her knowledge.

"When she was made, she had no sky. She was open and pleasant, and the stars would rush into her, right through her flesh. The stars felt so amazing inside of her. The animals sang with pleasure. The ground cracked with sensation. The oceans boiled with feeling, and when she could endure no more of their heavenly delight, she blew out the sky." Gaara was mesmerized by her, his fingers already unconsciously stroking her tan leg.

"Wow," was all he said before succumbing to his desire. He claimed her lips fiercely, pulling her towards him. Her fingers found their way to his hair and tangled themselves in. His hand was hot against the thin fabric of her dress at the small of her back. It was starting to itch, the glamorous garment he had given her.

"Show me the stars, Gaara," she moaned and pulled away. She held his hand fast and practically pulled him back to her bedroom. "I want to see stars."


	9. Chapter 9

"Shina?" Gaara said quietly, afraid he had done something wrong.

"Hush now. I'm savoring this moment," she retorted and snuggled closer to him. "Wake me up when the sun rises." Gaara pressed a kiss to her hair in answer. The sun would rise fairly soon; she wouldn't get that much sleep. Somehow, Gaara didn't feel bad about that. A smile curled onto his lips, as he thought about her.

She was asleep almost instantly. She must have been quite tired, Gaara noted with pride. His fingers brushed down her face, and they continued downwards, tracing the patterns and swirls on her stomach. It must have been amazing body paint—not to come off after what he did to her skin. He could have also sworn that all of the whirls were black, but on her neck they faded into a royal purple. And why did she hide them?

After a while, he managed to escape her grasp without waking her and began wandering around her room. He found it odd that there were no pictures of family or friends. There was nothing to indicate where she had been. Purely out of idle curiosity, he pulled open on of her desk drawers. Paper, pens, sticky notes dated weeks ago. He pulled open another. Scraps of some newspaper, a paper flower, and… oh.

He picked up the headband and stared at it.

It had the symbol of the Leaf on it. His hands fisted, the metal pressing into his skin. She was… a Leaf? How could she not… Everything that he had shared with her: his past, his first kiss, his virginity! Was it all a lie? Did the Leaf not trust him? Could it have all been a misunderstanding?

Yes—that was it. She was sent to keep tabs on him, but they had… He couldn't even finish the thought. Or perhaps those were her orders all along—get close to him. The way she'd looked at him though, the way she'd screamed his name. That couldn't be a lie, could it? He shook his head, heart dropping.

He went over to her and traced the patterns on her skin again, this time feeling the chakra beneath. So it wasn't paint after all? He should have known. It was some sort of seal. He shook his head and marched out, anger growing with every step.

She always was a good actor.

* * *

"Gaara?" Shina mumbled sleepily. She opened her eyes to find him gone. A stab of pain hit her. He just left? After what they'd… he must have Kazekage duties, she thought. Yes, that was it. Kazekage duties. She'd slept half the day away, so there was no need to try and open the library. It would just have to be closed for one day.

Shina got up and donned her favorite robe—a soft purple one that hung down almost to the floor. Her abdomen ached, but she descended the stairs nonetheless to water her little flower she had in the window. It was her favorite. Back in Konoha, they used to call it the Ray of Sunshine flower. The librarian picked out a nice book and headed back to her flat to read the rest of the day away.

Without hearing anything from her red-headed lover, she fell asleep, book still in hand. The next day, she felt much better. The ache had gone down, and she wasn't as sleepy anymore. So she opened the library. It was a slow day for checkouts and play practice wasn't scheduled for that day. Shina closed up early and went down to the market to get fresh tomatoes for her dinner. She bumped into someone.

"Excuse me," she muttered and was about to go on her way, but the person grabbed her arm.

"Shina?!" It said. Horrified, she turned her head to look at her old teammate.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing here?" She hissed.

"We were supposed to go to the ball, but we were delayed," he said. "We've been trying to find you for ages!"

"Who's we?" The former-Leaf asked warily.

"Your sister and I—"

Shina gave him no more time to talk. She turned and bolted away. She had to go—had to leave Suna for a while. The library was already closed, locked, and sealed by all means, so she just started for the city limits. The sand structures flashed by, as she raced to get out. She didn't think of Gaara—didn't want to. If Shikamaru was there for the ball, he probably already checked in with the Kazekage.

What if he knew?

She still refused to let the tears go and held them back. Shina was almost there—almost out when her foot stuck in the sand. She pulled frantically but to no avail. She turned slowly, fearful of what she would see. There was Gaara, sauntering towards her. Fear and pain and lots of other things swirled inside of her at once. He was walking towards her stiffly. No other person was in sight.

Then she knew—knew how those poor people felt when Gaara killed people for fun. They felt like trapped animals, waiting for the slaughter. She tore her eyes from his piercing gaze and pulled again at her foot. The sand enveloped her foot, enclosing her entire leg by the time the Kazekage stopped in front of her.

He knew.

"Stop struggling," he said, and she stopped. Shina stood up as best she could, raising her chin and throwing out her chest.

"Get off," she snarled. The sun beat down on both of them, causing the town to look hazy behind its leader. "Don't make me force you." Gaara laughed then. It was a cruel laugh that punctured her confidence. The sand—his sand—began to creep up her body.

"You're going to force me? That's strange. Why didn't you have that attitude when your teammates were being overwhelmed? When your own sister was fighting for her life, you did nothing but run away like a coward. Falling back into old habits, hmm? Running away again?"

"Gaara don't—"

"You're a traitor to your village," he yelled. His voice dropped down to a low growl, as he stomped up to her and looked her dead in the eyes. "And not worthy to be in mine."

It was then that she got angry—so very very angry. Shina was sick and tired of everyone calling her a traitor. A coward. Weak. Useless. So much rage that had been built up over so many years came rushing through her veins. Gaara stepped back to get a better look at her because it seemed as though she was… glowing.

"Look who's talking?!" She screamed at him. Some unseen force blew him back, and he fell into the sand. An explosion rocked through his bones, and when he looked back up, Shina was no longer immobilized by his sand. Her clothing was in tatters. There were no longer marks on her neck. "You killed so many more people on purpose, and now you're the freaking Kazekage! I protect my sister, and I'm the worst kind of scum there is!"

"You had it all!" He protested. "A family, friends, and a place in your village! You betrayed all of that!"

"Oh boo hoo!" She cried and stomped over to him. "I love you," she said lowly, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "And I didn't care about your past. Why can't you extend the same hospitality?" He wrapped his fingers around her hand and shoved it away.

"Because I didn't run away from my problems. I had to deal with them," he growled.

Shina turned and ran off, another wave of chakra keeping Gaara from going after her and taking her to the Leaf ninja. When he looked up again, she was gone. He didn't move—simply sat on the ground, thinking about her. The way her laugh would light up the room. The way her smile could make him blush. The way her skin moved beneath his fingertips.

It was sometime later that he heard a voice yelling, "Gaara!" A young woman, Kei her name was, came up beside him. "There you are, Kazekage!" She panted.

"You are Kei Kimino, are you not? Shina's sister?" He asked, standing up. Kei's face darkened.

"I don't like to talk about her, you understand," she muttered and started back towards the village. "Your brother and sister were worried, you see," she said and smiled at him. "I'm glad I found you."

"Do you like to read?" He asked suddenly, walking back to the village with her.

"Not really," she answered truthfully. "And I'm sure a handsome young Kazekage like you doesn't have much time for reading in between running a country and dealing with all the swooning women."

Gaara could tell that she was flirting with him, and it made him uneasy. He dismissed her in the politest way possible when they got to the Kazekage mansion, and he sluggishly made his way inside. Dinner with Temari and Kankuro was completely silent. He didn't eat much anyways.

Temari had watched her younger brother play with his knife for almost ten minutes.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," she said. "I really am." He hung his head.

"So am I, Temi. So am I."


	10. Chapter 10

As the days passed, Gaara watched the library. So many people asked him where their librarian had gone, but he shook his head and told them he didn't know. The Hokage, Tsunade, had requested he travel to the Leaf to discuss things that were too sensitive to send letters about. On the day he was leaving, he looked once more into her window and sighed.

Her flower had wilted.

* * *

"Kazekage, how nice to see you here," Kei said and showed him to the Hokage's office. Kankuro and Temari were denied entrance. "I'm sorry, but this is a private meeting."

"Miss Kimino, you have to understand that these are my siblings, and I trust them with my life," Gaara said.

"Hokage's orders," Kei stated and went into the office. The Kazekage waved off his siblings, and they both tensed. In a foreign country, they were never to be separated.

"We'll be just a door away if you need anything," Temari said. Gaara nodded and followed Kei.

"Hokage, I have to wonder why Miss Kimino is allowed in here while my top advisors are not," he said, sitting in one of the Hokage's many chairs. Tsunade sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Because this matter directly pertains to her," she answered. "As you are aware, Shina Kimino has been living in your village for quite some time." Gaara nodded.

"Though I only knew her as Shina."

"Yes, and it has been brought to my attention that her hasty trial went entirely unfairly. The ANBU Captain thought she was an adult, and he had family that died in the attack. You know how these things go. If I would have given sentence, I would have only sent her back to the genin teams. We've been trying to right this wrong for some time, only just now finding out where she lived."

"And then she slipped through your fingers," Gaara finished.

"Exactly," Tsunade said. "It has also come to our attention that should she ever, well, severely dislike the Leaf or any village for that matter, it wouldn't take so much as the lift of her finger to destroy the entire thing." The Kazekage's head snapped up.

"How?"

"Her chakra," Kei said. "It's very volatile, and she has so much of it. She has a seal, like the Hokage here, on her back. We don't know how much chakra she has stored, but—"

"A lot," Gaara said. "These 'seal' lines were all over her body, and they were black."

"Black?" Kei gulped. "They were always purple. Lady Tsunade," she said, turning to the Hokage. "She has much more than we estimated. We can't afford to make her an enemy."

"Taking her in would be useless. She doesn't need hand signs to activate the chakra either," Gaara put in. Tsunade nodded.

"I see. I suppose the best thing to do would be to simply leave her alone," she concluded. Gaara shook his head.

"I don't think we should waste any time looking for that deserter," he growled. Tsunade's brow furrowed.

"Kei, leave us," she ordered, and the Kimino retreated into the hall. "Kazekage, you mentioned the seal being everywhere. Might I ask how you knew this?"

"If you're asking about my relationship with Shina, yes I had one. We were quite. Close," he said and leveled his gaze on her. "But I have no other feeling towards her than disgust anymore," he said. Hey, maybe he even believed it!

"Don't you think you're being a tad harsh on her?" Tsunade said, cocking her head to one side. "She was only fourteen, and it was her first real battle, against her own village no less."

"I know, but… I told her everything, and she accepted me in spite of my past. Why didn't she trust me to do the same?" He wondered.

"Because you didn't," Shikamaru said, appearing out of the shadows. "I saw the whole thing back at Suna." Gaara looked down, ashamed.

"I want to talk to her, but she's long gone," Gaara said, shaking his head.

Little did he know, Shina was heading towards Konoha at that very moment. It took her a few days to get over her entire world crumbling down and getting run over by a train while simultaneously being on fire. But she needed someone to know about what really happened—needed it desperately. She was going to the only person who would probably believe her. Iruka-sensei.

Her face was covered with the swirling black lines, the extra stress causing her to produce an immense amount of chakra. She had to keep on a mask at all times. Along with the rest of her body, her face had to be covered. She even had to wear gloves. The mask was truly annoying but sadly necessary. Getting into Konoha was easy. They weren't expecting any hostile ninja, therefore their patrols weren't as tight as they could have been. Shina used the cover of darkness, wearing all black, and was in the city in embarrassingly little time. A light drizzle had begun.

She headed to her sister's house.

"Shina?!" Kei whispered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm giving you one last chance to tell everyone what really happened, or I will," Shina said.

"Can we talk about this later? I'm on a date," she hissed and looked back to make sure her date hadn't heard them. Shina followed her sister's gaze, and her hand flew up to her mouth, catching the sobs that almost came out. Gaara. Her date was Gaara. How twisted was that?

"Fine then. I'll tell everyone," Shina muttered and stepped back out into the rain. I really was raining harder, and Shina found it hard to see through the haze. She saw a light and headed for it, wondering if she could get directions to Iruka's.

"Hello, little missy. What's your name?" A drunken man asked. She brushed off his hand and went up to the least drunk person in the bar—a woman.

"Hello. I'm wondering if you can give me directions to Iruka-sensei's house?" Shina asked. The woman turned to her, about to offer the directions, but when her eyes landed on Shina, she stopped. Her face paled, and then it contorted with some kind of emotion Shina didn't recognize—fury or pain or sorrow perhaps?

"Hello, Shina," the woman seethed. She grabbed Shina by the hair and dragged her towards a group of men. Oh no, Shina thought. She should have recognized them before she ever entered. They were the ninja from the battle—the ninja Kei betrayed. "Look who I've found, boys," she jeered and threw Shina onto the table, knocking over glasses and getting alcohol all over her.

"She's covered in black! I can't damn well tell who she is," one of them slurred.

"Shina Kimino. Y'all remember her. She's the reason Daisuke is dead, and Fesuin, and Ibichiru," she said. Someone took Shina by the neck and dragged her outside. It was all she could do not to blow them to bits. _They're just idiots. They're just idiots, _she chanted in her head. She was already drained from travelling all day and had no strength to fight them off.

"You were exiled, huh? For twenty five murders? I don't think so," the woman sneered. "Let's show her some good old fashioned ninja punishment." The men laughed in approval.

Someone kicked her, and then they all began to beat at her body. Some of them had kunai and were slicing at her skin. One of them pulled her up by the hair and socked her in the jaw so hard she tasted the raindrops on their knuckles. _They're just idiots!_ He took her hair again, her long beautiful hair that Gaara liked so much, and he sliced it off, throwing the chunk of curls away. The woman barked an order—Shina's ears were bleeding too much to hear it—and they all backed off. She heard an odd noise, and it suddenly got really warm.

They had set her on fire.

The alcohol on her clothes! It was then that the screams came. Shina thrashed about, extinguishing the flames slower than she'd have liked on the wet ground. She heard footsteps of people leaving, and she closed her eyes to the oncoming storm. The rain was soothing to her bleeding skin and soon washed away most of the red liquid. As she waited for something to happen, she dreamed about how it should have been, if Gaara had stayed that morning.

_ "Gaara?"_

_ "Hn?" Her lover grunted and kissed down her neck._

_ "I should really tell you something," Shina said. Gaara brushed back her long brown tresses and gave her a long kiss._

_ "We can't multitask?" He said, fingers grazing skin._

_ "I can't talk with you kissing me!" She laughed._

_ "Well, what if I kiss you somewhere else?" He retorted and kissed her shoulder. "Like here." He moved over and pressed his lips to her stomach. "Or here?" She groaned. It would have to do._

_ "You already know that I was like a mother to my sister," she began._

_ "Mmmhmm," Gaara murmured, as his tongue darted out to caress her flesh._

_ "I was a chunin in Konoha—we both were," she said and cringed, fearing the backlash._

_ "Keep going," he said, still ravishing her arms._

_ "We were actually assigned a mission here in Suna to build the Konoha embassy. We were attacked by our own villagers who wanted to destroy Suna after what happened, and we defended for a good while. None of us had died or anything when my little sister broke the line and ran. All hell ensued, and I ran after her. I—I…"_

_ "It's okay, Shina. Go on," he said and pressed a kiss to her palm._

_ "I took her place," she finally admitted. "I took the fall and was exiled." Gaara stopped and rose his head to meet her gaze._

_ "You did that for you sister?" He asked. She nodded, and his eyes began to get misty. But he smiled and chuckled. "I only didn't kill them as a sign of respect," he chuckled, eyes still watery._

_ Shina gathered him in her arms and rested her head in his hair._

_ "Well, now you've got the best of teasing relationships with them, are the most powerful man in your country, and have an awesome girlfriend," she consoled him. He raised his head with a smile and kissed her deeply._

_ "I sure do." He kissed her again, his tongue slipping through her lips to play with hers. His hand took her knee and hitched her leg around his waist as he—_

Shina was broken out of her fantasy by a pair of arms hoisting her up into their grasp. All she could see was spikey hair before her vision failed her.

"Gaara?" She muttered. "I can't see, Gaara. I'm scared." She painfully reached up and found his head in all that darkness. When she touched his face, a bolt of pain shot through her arm. "Why do you make me hurt? Gaara, I thought you loved me."

"Hush now," the head said to her—like a mother to a baby. She tried her hardest, but she couldn't really tell if those sounds were her or something else entirely. All she knew was that the voices she heard sounded like they were in pain.


	11. Chapter 11

When Shina awoke, she decided that this was not her bed. Her head tried to move, but sharp pain kept her still. She lay there for a while, comfortable enough to not chance the pain. A ray of light fell across her eyes, annoying the young woman, but she was determined to stay asleep for as long as she could. If it was sunlight, then it would move eventually, right?

But it didn't move.

She groaned and tried to move again, but she ached all over.

"Shina?" Someone said. "Don't move. You're very hurt." Despite the man's warnings, she sat up, and he helped her lean against the wall. She opened her eyes, blinking a bit as her vision cleared. He was blurry, but she could make out his face.

"Iruka-sensei," she stated. He smiled at her.

"Seems like you got a rough beating." His smiled dropped off his face. "Why did you come back?"

"I needed someone to—" She cringed and cradled her hand. "To know."

"Know what?" Shina shook her head and coughed, causing more pain to ripple through her chest.

"Give me… a m-moment," she groaned. She closed her eyes and leaned back. Iruka backed away as she started glowing blue. Light spilled out of her cuts and warmed her bruises. When she opened her eyes, blue light came out and illuminated the room. Iruka was speechless. He had never seen anything like it, but it was completely awe-inspiring.

"Shina?" Iruka said when the glowing finally stopped. She lifted her head and shook it fiercely.

"God, I haven't done that in such a long time!" She said and shivered. Shina hopped out of the bed and stretched.

"So you're just… all better?" Iruka said. Shina nodded.

"One of the few jutsus I can actually accomplish," she replied. "Small things—broken bones, snapped muscles, cuts, and bruises—they're easy to heal. Now ruptured spleens are another thing, but I don't have one of those," she muttered.

"That's a neat trick," Iruka replied.

"Do you have a mirror?" Iruka nodded and brought it to her. She tugged down the remains of her mask and looked at herself. The seal had receded to barely caressing her face, what more could have been expected? Her hair was horrendously short, and she took Iruka's kunai to fix it. It hung by her ears, and she longed for her Leaf headband to keep it out of her eyes.

"So what are you going to do now?" Iruka asked, helping her with a few tufts of hair she missed.

"I gave my sister an ultimatum, and she should at least know me well enough to know I always follow through," she said, completely determined and completely scared at the same time.

"You still haven't told me why I shouldn't take you in right now," Iruka said, crossing his arms.

"Well, you shouldn't take me in because I'm not guilty," she hissed. Iruka started. Not guilty? "For years, I've been running from a crime that wasn't even mine. I've been called a traitor, a coward, and some names not even I should repeat."

"It was Kei," Iruka breathed. He sat down heavily on the bed and put his face in his hands. "I should have known. You would never betray your team, but Kei… two years younger and spoiled to death." He shook his head. "I should have known," he said again.

"It isn't your fault," she grumbled. "I pleaded guilty for that little… Oh! She just gets me so angry sometimes!" She chuckled anyhow. "The way only family can."

"I hear that," Iruka said. "You should see the brats at the Academy." As Iruka sighed, Shina began laughing.

"I remember those days. I'm glad I always had you," she admitted. "I personally think you're the best teacher in Konoha."

"You're very flattering, but I'm afraid I failed you," he said. She sat down on the bed next to him and frowned.

"You were nothing but excellent!" She declared. He shook his head and smiled at her.

"I never noticed how lonely you were. I should have. I had you for three years. Do you remember the last thing you said to me when you graduated?" He chuckled. "I said something about how stressed you were and how you shouldn't put that much pressure on yourself. You replied with 'Three years as my teacher, and you just figured that out.'"

"It's okay," she said and punched her former teacher's arm. "No one else noticed either."

"That still doesn't excuse… I'm sorry, okay?" He looked at her and their gazes met. "I'm really truly sorry." Shina began to tear up.

"That's the first time in my life someone has said their sorry," she sobbed. He watched her cry for a moment before wrapping his arms around her.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Gaara's hand slid down her leg and pulled her closer. Kei arched her back, moaning into the Kazekage's mouth. He felt his body instinctually react to her, but he felt no connection. He felt rather removed from the whole situation. He didn't really remember how the sister of the woman he loved came to be on top of him. She sighed, frustrated at his lack of interest.

"You're thinking about _her_, aren't you?" Kei said. Gaara hesitated and then shook his head firmly.

"No," he slurred and went back to kissing her. She ground her hips down onto his, as she was straddling him. The alcohol she'd given him made him feel… Different. Animalistic. His hands were under her shirt, but her skin felt different than… _hers_. Kei kissed differently too, faster somehow. Everything was fast, much to fast. The room spun. "Kei," he muttered and she stopped.

"What is it?"

"What was in that drink you gave me?" He asked, breathing heavily.

"Just a little something to loosen you up, nothing major," she replied and started sucking on his neck.

"The last time I loosened up, I destroyed my village," he said back and tried to push her off, but his fine motor skills weren't working properly. Kei chuckled and kissed the base of his ear.

"Just relax," she said.

"Kei, this isn't a good idea," he mumbled. She pulled back and smirked at him.

"And why not? You're obviously into it," she said and ground down onto him again, making him groan.

"I'm in love with your sister," he blurted, the alcohol loosening his tongue. Kei stopped. She got off of him, plopping down next to him on the couch.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Gaara shifted uncomfortably, the haze from the drink clearing a little.

"Well, you'd be the first. I don't even think our father loves her anymore. It's sad really," Kei said. "He just, expected so much more out of her, you know? I mean, here she was taking up the role of mother, giving up her friends and free time for us. I expected more out of her. She was quite a good ninja, I mean it did take her three years to complete the Academy, but still." She didn't know it, but Gaara was feeling more and more forgiving towards Kei with every word she said. "Then, she goes and abandons her teammates. I mean, who does that?"

"Did she really do all that for you guys?" He said.

"It was nothing, really. She never really fit in with her age group anyways, so she had a lot of free time. If I were a social outcast, heaven forbid, I would probably spend a lot of time with my family too." Kei shrugged.

"I really should go," he said suddenly.

"Where?"

"To find her."


	12. Chapter 12

Gaara's search was fruitless, but he did find out the Shina in fact was in town. He just had a feeling, an intuition that she wasn't far away, though everything was all uphill for Shina. As it turned out, her presence in Konoha had attracted little public attention. The Hokage was doing everything normally, including going ahead with her speech on brain damage in war veterans. It was in an outdoor setting. A small stage had been crafted on the edge of the forest just for this use. Shina would use this as an advantage because most of the village would be there-at least most of the ninja would definitely attend. Gaara would attend.

After a little planning with Iruka, everything was going to go over without a hitch. With his knowledge of jutsu and her near-limitless chakra reserves, there was little that could stop them from carrying out their plan.

Her seal was beginning to burn more all the time, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore. She was glad that she would soon get rid of some of it, lessening the burn, but she was also scared of this knowledge. What would happen if she kept the chakra? Would it burn her from the inside out? Would she suffering agony for the rest of her days? Or would the chakra burst out of her and destroy everything around? She had to think about these things-had to think about what having this seal meant for her future in the Leaf, in Gaara's life, and in her life.

Oh, who was she kidding? Would she really have a life with Gaara?

Shina was up on the roof of Iruka's house, too jumpy to go to sleep and too nervous to talk to Iruka. As she thought about the stars and her Kazekage, she could have sworn she saw his red mop of hair on a distant street. She threw away her wishful thoughts and zeroed in on the color that wasn't supposed to be there. She smiled.

He was doing the exact same thing-looking at the stars.

So she bit her lip and threw caution to the wind, sneaking over to him. Her clothes had been torn and bloodied, so Iruka brought her some of the forgotten clothes from the academy-the clothes that they make the kids wear if they go to school looking more risque than they should. She'd found a navy blue t-shirt that was suspiciously like the one she used to have: tight and formfitting. The pants were a bit more unfortunate. They were some shade of grey, Shina couldn't really tell. They... sagged in odd places. She made a mental note to get different pants by the next day.

The brown-haired ninja had to go far out of her way to make sure Gaara didn't see her, hopping on rooftop after rooftop. She estimated that he was only a half a block away from the Hokage Tower, so the place he was staying was probably courtesy of the Hokage. Which rose the question: why was he here? She found she didn't really care, but the feeling she got from sneaking up on one of the most powerful ninja in all the countries: priceless.

She dropped down next to him and lay out on the shingles.

"The first time we did this, the moon was barely a sliver," she commented. She felt him tense and then relax.

"Shina," he breathed and laid his hand over hers. "I need to say something." She only nodded, giving him silent permission to continue. "I shouldn't have gotten to angry at you. I just felt betrayed, but I see how ignorant of me that was. Can you forgive me?"

"I never heard an apology," she said stiffly and comically tossed up her chin. Gaara chuckled and kissed her hand.

"I'm sorry," he said and kissed her wrist. "I apologize." He kissed further up her arm. "Forgive me." He tried to kiss her on the lips, but she turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek. She shook her head and looked down.

"Why would you judge me for something I did before I became the person you know?" She asked shyly. "I accepted your past because you were no longer like that, and did you... Did you think I was the same?" She said, tears shining in her eyes. She blinked them back, determined not to cry more times than she had to. "Did you think I was the same person I had been?"

"I don't know," he answered, holding her face with his hands and forcing her to look into his eyes. "I haven't known you all that long, Shina. I don't... I didn't want to believe that I'd fallen in love with someone who was mixed up in all of this. The war and violence and ninja way. I was angry that you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."

"I was going to tell you, you know," she said, wiping at her eyes. "If you'd have stayed that morning. I was going to tell you everything." He didn't try to kiss her again, just hugged her tightly and went back to staring at the stars, hiding his own tears. He pressed something into her palm, and she stared at it. "Why did you take this?"

"I didn't want to believe you were a Leaf," he admitted. "But when I looked up your name..."

"But I never gave you my last name," she interjected.

"Shina isn't a very popular name," he said, and she nodded. "I thought you might want it back."

"Thanks," she said and secured her hair back with it. Gaara looked at her, to the stars, and back.

"Your hair," he said, astonished. He laced his fingers into the brown tresses and combed them out, feeling the loss of all her hair.

"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered and sat up. Gaara stared a her for a long while before nodding. Shina looked up at the descending moon and grimaced. "I should go," she said and turned to him. She was caught off guard by his lips crashing into hers. He kissed her fiercely and without remorse. She didn't hesitate a second before kissing back with just as much passion. When they finally pulled away, they were panting.

"I just thought that you should know," he panted and nodded.

"Yeah, now I should go," she said and dropped off the roof. He glance over the side and saw her racing off through he streets of Konoha.


	13. Chapter 13

Tsunade's speech was actually kind of good. Shina felt bad for upstaging it, but as soon as she stopped talking Shina made her big entrance. The sun seemed to dim for a moment, and then she was just on the stage. Everyone gasped. Lady Tsunade took a step back, and then she looked pissed. It was probably do to the fact the she had Iruka hog-tied to one of his dining chairs, gagged but not blindfolded. She had him tipped back up onto two legs.

"Well!" She drawled. "That was a fine speech, Lady Tsu, really. I would clap, but then he would fall so none of us want that," she said and gestured to Iruka. She started to slowly drag him to center stage. "Now I want everyone to be quiet while I tell my story."

"Shina, what are you-!" Tsunade began but was interrupted by Shina.

"I said no talking!" She screamed. "Or I will paint the stage with Iruka-sensei's skull; you know I can." She looked down at her exposed arms and back up to the Hokage.

"Okay," the blonde said, backing away. "Okay. No need to be hasty."

"Well there may be some need. I think it's going to rain," she began. The crowd watched her with bewilderment. "In Suna it never rained! No need for an umbrella. No need for worry… Where was I? Oh yes! Interrupt me again, and I kill Iruka. Now I rememeber!" She let Iruka down with a loud clunk and began pacing the stage, talking. "For those who don't know me, I'm Shina Kimino. I was convicted of I don't really know what and sentenced to exile. Betrayal? Can you prosecute betrayal?" She shook her head. "I can blow this entire town sky-high without so much as a handsign, but either way I would like my sister to join me up on the stage now!"

Kei froze. A murmur swept through everyone before they looked at her. With shaking limbs, she stood slowly and began advancing towards the stage. Shina flicked her wrist, and poor Iruka's face blasted off of his head. Blood spattered everywhere—on the floor, the podium, and even on Shina. An astonished crowd held their breath.

Kakashi's brow furrowed, and he tugged up his headband to activate his sharingan. He felt a familiar hand clamp down on his mouth and begin to pull him backwards. When they got back behind a building, the jonin spun to look at an entirely alive Iruka.

"What are you playing at?" He asked. Iruka just smiled and shook his head.

"I grow impatient," she growled. Kei sped onto the stage after that and cringed when her sister pulled her into a hug. "It's been so long, hasn't it? Of course we could've caught up when you turned me away at your door while it was raining cats and dogs, but no matter. We can do it now!"

She started to walk around again, leaving her sister to awkwardly stand next to a dead Iruka.

"Remember that time when you came home and there was dinner, and I told you that Dad had swung by to make us dinner because he loved us so much? Or rather, all those times?" Shina spun on her sister who nodded slowly when she realized that was what Shina wanted. "I lied. I always made those. Now let's count," she said and held up her hand. "School. You. Dad. The house. The meals. The extracurriculars you had. And oh yeah, being twelve years old with a recently dead mother and a workaholic dad!" She held up a finger for each obligation she had, having to go onto her other hand.

Kei gulped as several gazes went to her.

"Do you remember that time when we were fighting ninja from the Leaf, and you ran off? Do you remember how I said I did it, so I could protect you one last time?" She chuckled dryly and got close enough to Kei to make her flinch. "Do you remember that time that Dad was telling me never to come back after all I did for you ungratefuls, and you just sat there in your room?" Kei had begun to cry softly. "Do you remember that?!" Shina yelled in her ear. "I didn't hear you!"

"Yes!" Kei blubbered. The older sister smiled and patted her on the back before lurching away with new energy and smiling at the crowd.

"And to all you ninja out there who gangbanged me last night because you'd lost some friends in that battle, first of all: suck it because I can heal myself. Secondly, I think one of you must have taken all my hair, and I just thought this must have been a mix up because stunning brown curls didn't look like they would work with any of your faces. And I don't really recall… Did you break my hand before or after you set me on fire? Actually, it must have been before because after you set me on fire, you left me for dead," she mused.

The Hokage was getting more and more outraged by the minute. One of the blackest stains on Konoha history, the Leaf fighting its own, and it was just getting worse! And which of _her _ninja thought they had the right to administer such gruesome, twisted justice? She glanced over at Gaara who was _livid_. If she didn't have anything more to say, he would have rushed onstage and demanded the names of these people.

"So yeah. Suck it… anyways!" She said and snapped. "I think that's all. Kei, my darling sister, would you like to add anything?" She was crying full force, and Shina felt quite satisfied with herself. She felt all those years of tension just drain out of her. Kei didn't say anything and just ran off stage. "Don't I feel accomplished, huh?"

After that, it was just a flurry. Some girls went to find Kei. A group of ninja disappeared. And everyone was trying to find Shina. She didn't give them that chance and teleported away with 'Iruka's' body. Gaara was absolutely desperate to find her—to tell her how much of a fool he was, to tell her he loved her.

* * *

"Oh my god," Iruka laughed. "Oh my god! I can't believe we did that!" Shina ran at him and tackled him in a big bear hug.

"Neither can I!" She squealed and laughed hysterically. "Did you see their faces when I blew up your head!" She went into another round of laughter.

"And then when Kei said yes!" They both laughed until their sides began to hurt, not really knowing how else to react.

"I'm glad someone thinks this is funny," an angry feminine voice said. Tsunade appeared from the shadows and glared at them; Gaara not far behind.

"C'mon, Lady Hokage ma'am. You have to admit, that was some pretty funny sh-stuff," she said and chuckled.

"I think I was rash, immature, and not very well thought out," she answered. Shina's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, Shina! Even with you cleared of the charges of deserting; now I'm obligated to charge you with trespassing, improper wearing of ninja attire, and more counts of threatening than I can count! Not to mention, I have to bring your sister in for deserting," she scolded. Shina crossed her arms and cocked her hip. Gaara knew this pose all too well and didn't even need to hear it to know Shina was about to one-up the Hokage.

"First of all, the ruling that said I was trespassing was given under false pretenses with bias and could easily be overthrown. I never actually threatened anybody; I was merely stating fact that I could obliterate this town. Finally, improper attire is a misdemeanor. No jail time. Even then, a jury would never convict an innocent librarian who gave up her life for her sister," she sneered. Tsunade was speechless. "And then there's my sister. I timed this very carefully, Hokage. Do not think me a fool. Yesterday, the statute of limitations ran out on that crime. Yesterday, you may have been able to try to get at her, but not today, not today!"

Then, it was everyone that was speechless.

"So the next time you call my plans ill thought-out. Think it over first," she said. Now, Hokage Tsunade was a very gracious person… when she had the mind for it. Luckily for Shina, she was in a forgiving mood. She turned without another word and left.

Gaara was left staring at his Shina in awe.


	14. Chapter 14

"Oh my god," Iruka laughed. "Oh my god! I can't believe we just did that!" Shina ran at him and tackled him in a big bear hug.

"Neither can I!" She squealed and laughed hysterically. "Did you see their faces when I blew up your head!" She went into another round of laughter.

"And then when Kei said yes!"

"I'm glad someone thinks this is funny," an angry feminine voice said. Tsunade appeared from the shadows and glared at them, Gaara not far behind.

"C'mon, Lady Hokage ma'am. You have to admit, that was some pretty funny stuff," she said and chuckled.

"I think it was rash, immature, and not very well thought out," she answered. Shina's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, Shina! Even with you cleared of the charges of deserting; now I'm obligated to charge you with trespassing, improper wearing of ninja attire, and more counts of threatening than I can count! Not to mention, I have to bring your sister in for deserting," she scolded. Shina crossed her arms and cocked her hip. Gaara knew this pose all too well and didn't even need to hear it to know Shina was about to one-up the Hokage.

"First of all, the ruling that said I was trespassing was given under false pretenses with bias and could easily be overthrown. I never actually threatened anybody; I was merely stating fact that I could obliterate this town. Finally, improper attire is a misdemeanor. No jail time. Even then, a jury would never convict an innocent librarian who gave up her life for her sister," she sneered. Tsunade was speechless. "And then there's my sister. I timed this very carefully, Hokage. Do not think me a fool. Yesterday, the statute of limitations ran out on that crime. Yesterday, you may have been able to try to get at her, but not today, not today!"

Then, it was everyone that was speechless.

"So the next time you call my plans ill thought-out. Think it over first," she said. Now, Hokage Tsunade was a very gracious person… when she had the mind for it. Luckily for Shina, she was in a forgiving mood. She turned without another word and left.

Gaara was left staring at his Shina in awe.

* * *

She turned to look at him slowly. She didn't want to see what he thought. She wanted to savor the moment, the look on Tsunade's face. Shina wasn't disappointed. He didn't look angry, disappointed, or annoyed. He looked awed. She smiled and started towards him.

"Gaara?" She asked. He started from his reverie and looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time.

"When did I fall in love with such a beautiful, smart, sexy creature?" He wrapped his arms around her waist. She giggled.

"Keep going," she urged.

"You are the cleverest, nicest, and most stunning person I know," he continued. "I like the way you constantly brush back your hair when you're nervous, and how you—"

"Ahem," a man coughed. Shina jumped out of Gaara's grasp and brushed back her hair.

"Father," she said simply, and Gaara stiffened.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked. Shina nodded and moved away from her Gaara. He took the hint and went to talk to Iruka, never having had a conversation with the sensei.

"Yes?" She said. Her father sighed, his aged brow crumpling. He started to say something and then shook his head. He tried again, but nothing came out.

"I'm sorry," he finally blurted. "You are my daughter, and I never should have… dismissed you like that." He shook his head again. "I never knew what you did for Kei; all of what you did, the dinners, the cleaning, the school. I never appreciated what you did for all of us—your mother included. I know you didn't mention it, but I saw you by her bedside every day." He chuckled and gazed lovingly at his daughter. "It was always 'what do you need, mom? You need a pillow? Okay. Do you want some soup, mom? No? Okay, mom.' I was surprised when she didn't leave you anything—a letter or a picture or anything," he said and sighed.

"No, um, you're wrong about that," Shina said, a growing sense of dread in her chest. "She did send me a letter. She sent me this," she disputed and handed him the letter. As he read, she continued talking to stave off the anxiety building a skyscraper in her throat. "I was going to read some of it, but I had to change the plan and blow up Iruka early." When he finally finished, he looked up at Shina and hugged her suddenly.

"Honey, sweetie, my little girl," he murmured. "This was meant for Kei."

Shina's world spun.

Her hands started trembling, and her father tried to explain by saying, "I was supposed to give it to her, but after I read it, I thought it would be better for a later date. I put it down after I'd taken it out of the envelope to read it, and I thought I'd just lost it." She fell to her knees.

"I was never… She never wanted," she stuttered. A smile spread its way across her face. "I didn't fail her. Because I was never responsible for raising her, it isn't my fault she's such a brat." She shook her head and clapped her hands together. "This is the best day of my life!" She turned and ran back to Gaara, throwing herself into his arms. "This is the greatest day, ever!" She repeated.

"So I heard," he chuckled. She spun around and caught a glimpse of her sister. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Kei. She started over quickly, and the younger sibling didn't move to flee.

"Kei," Shina said.

"Shina," she answered. The older girl waited patiently for her younger sister to speak and was rewarded. "I just wanted to say… We should have dinner some time with dad, and your new boyfriend." She scratched her head and looked away awkwardly. "And I'm sorry about the whole making-out thing, I was really drunk."  
"You did what?" Shina said dangerously.

"Nothing," she squeaked and fled. The older sister shook her head and stalked up to Gaara.

"Did you make out with my sister?" She asked, perilously happy looking.

"I don't really remember. I think so? But she drugged me in my defense," he said and pecked her on the cheek. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Normally, I would be really angry, but you can't bring me down today," she replied. It was then that Kakashi appeared, bringing good news.

"I just talked with the Hokage, and she wanted me to tell you that you are welcome to the full hospitality of Konoha should you choose to stay here," he announced lazily. Shina squealed in delight and hugged Gaara again.

"Best day ever!" Gaara smiled tightly and let her go. Her face darkened a tad as if a cloud a passed over it. "What is it?" She asked. He shook his head, looking away.

"The real question of the hour is: will you come back with me to Suna to be our librarian?" He paused for a moment before adding, "And my personal companion for all social events in which you can wear slinky dresses."

She smiled and said the word that prompted the rest of her life. The word that had her marring the Kazekage. The word that got her two lovely children. The word that got her the best library in all of the Sand. The word that started her loving friendships with everyone in Konoha and everyone in Suna. It was even the word that brought her small family back together for the occasional awkward dinner. In one word, she changed the entire course of her life for the better.

"Yes."


End file.
